


purrfect for each other

by lesmiserablol



Series: not kitten around [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cat Cafés, Cats, Dorks in Love, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesmiserablol/pseuds/lesmiserablol
Summary: “Let me teach you how to be a cat person,” Zuko says.“Learning from the master himself,” Sokka grins. “Alright, this can’t be too hard. Show me what you got.”(because sometimes, it takes going to a cat café four times to realize you're in love with your best friend)
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: not kitten around [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982770
Comments: 100
Kudos: 742





	purrfect for each other

“You can’t tell Aang about this,” Sokka says seriously, following Zuko as the sidewalk turns to the right. “He still thinks I’m allergic to cats.”

“Are you?” Zuko asks, looking panicked. 

“No!” Sokka says quickly. “That's just what I told him when he was looking at getting another pet. I’m not really allergic, but I don’t know how to act around cats. I’ve always been a dog person.”

Zuko nods. “Well, now is your chance to learn. Thank you again for coming with me.”

“Of course, man. It’s a shame Mai got sick,” Sokka replies. “We’ll have to take lots of pictures for her.”

“Definitely. Black cats are her favorite.” Zuko slows to a stop in front of one of the buildings and Sokka looks at the sign to realize they’re at the cat café.

“Oh. Should we go in?” Sokka asks after a moment. He’s not sure if he paused because he was distracted by the look on Zuko’s face or if he was waiting to see if he would walk in.

Zuko has a light in his eyes, his lips turned into a soft smile as he stares, entranced, at the cats through the window. He takes a deep breath and then nods. “Yeah. Sorry I’m just-- really excited.”

That seems accurate. In their years of friendship, Sokka has always known that Zuko is a cat person. Even if he didn’t tell Sokka that when they first got to know each other, he is sure he would have figured it out by the way that Zuko gives Appa awkward head pats and winces when he gets licked by the large Saint Bernard. 

Zuko’s whole personality screams “cat person”. But looking back, Sokka has never seen Zuko interact with cats except for the occasional stray. 

“Yeah, you definitely seem excited. Have you ever been here before?” he asks, smiling.

Zuko shakes his head. “Not this one. I used to go to a cat café in Japan with my mom when I was young, but it was hard to find. I didn’t realize they would have one here until Ty Lee found it and told Mai and I.”

“Well, let’s go see these cats,” Sokka says, opening the door and holding it open for Zuko.

If he thought Zuko’s reaction to seeing the cats through the window was special, it’s nothing compared to when they step in the actual room. After checking in for their assigned time slot at the desk, the receptionist hands them some cat treats and a menu for the café and lets them into the cat room. 

Zuko’s entire face lights up, and he practically bounces to the nearest cat, all of his usual tension leaving his body. There are some parts of Zuko’s personality that not a lot of people get to see. Sokka feels lucky enough to know him inside and out, but being surrounded by cats brings out a side to him that Sokka has never seen before. 

Zuko pauses for only a moment as if overwhelmed by the number of cats in the same space before he kneels in front of the nearest brown tabby, bringing out a baby voice as he starts babbling to it in Japanese. Sokka recognizes the word “cute” and doesn’t stop to think about why he learned and remembered that, of all words, in his best friend’s native tongue.

The brown kitten is furiously attacking a feather on the end of a string and Zuko picks up the stick that the string is tied to and bounces it around for the kitten to chase. He laughs as the kitten’s pupils go wide and he glances over his shoulder at Sokka. 

“Isn’t this amazing?” he asks, his smile wide.

Sokka does well with dogs. He loves dogs, and he has twenty two years of experience playing with them and giving them love. He didn't even know anyone who had a cat as a pet when he was growing up in Alaska, so a room full of cats is a little out of his comfort zone. He is frozen in place, afraid of stepping on one as the smaller ones run around him. The ones that aren’t racing around the room are lazily stretched out in spots of sunlight or on the top perches of cat towers, and Sokka just doesn’t know what to do with that.

He looks back at Zuko’s expectant smile and finds himself relaxing, his uncertainty fading away. “Yeah. It’s pretty amazing.”

A white kitten chases a ball that lands near Sokka’s foot and Sokka seizes his opportunity. This is more his speed, he can play fetch! Or, he thinks, looking at the kitten’s wide eyes staring at him, he can at least kick a ball back to the kitten.

He lifts his foot to do just that but immediately the kitten runs away to hide behind an armchair, and Zuko lets out a chuckle.

“What did I do?” Sokka asks, frowning.

“You have to be a little more gentle, some of them get scared easily. Give them time to trust you, yeah?” 

Sokka nods slowly, and Zuko gestures for him to sit next to him. Sokka sits down and crosses his legs next to Zuko and the kitten with the feather. 

“Let me teach you how to be a cat person,” Zuko says.

“Learning from the master himself,” Sokka grins. “Alright, this can’t be too hard. Show me what you got.”

Zuko holds out his hand and for a wild moment, Sokka thinks he should hold Zuko’s hand, but then he remembers that he’s still holding the treats and gives them to Zuko after a moment too long of hesitation. Zuko opens the bag and grabs Sokka’s hand, his fingers warm on Sokka’s skin, and he pours a few treats into Sokka’s palm before nudging it toward the tabby. 

The cat looks away from the now unmoving feather to Sokka’s hand, curiously taking a few steps forward before starting to eat the treats. Now that she is close, Sokka can see her collar shows that her name is Foofoo.

Sokka beams at Zuko, who smiles back, and Sokka forgets about the kitten until it jumps in his lap. Sokka manages to not jump in surprise but he gasps. “Now what?”

“Now slowly move your hand to her head and scratch on the nose and behind the ears. Use a gentle touch,” Zuko instructs him. 

Sokka lifts his hand slowly. The cat flinches when she notices, but stays still as he starts stroking her head. She leans into the touch immediately and Sokka feels the tension leaving his shoulders. This is easier than he thought it would be. 

“That’s it! You’re a natural,” Zuko beams, and Sokka matches his expression. 

After several seconds the cat nips at Sokka’s fingers and he jumps as he’s pulled out of his Zuko-induced trance. Zuko notices and laughs lowly. 

“They don’t like when you don’t give them all the attention,” Zuko explains. 

“Reminds me of someone I know,” Sokka says, and Zuko laughs again. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he smirks. 

The cat nips at his fingers again and Sokka reluctantly looks away from his friend to play with the cat again. 

* * *

“Is that cat hair?” 

Sokka rolls his eyes as he pulls away from their hug. “Hello to you too, Katara. Did you forget I live with one of the hairiest beasts alive?” 

“Appa does not have short brain hair.” Katara narrows her eyes and walks into the apartment, kicking her shoes off into a corner like she lives there. Which, given that her brother and boyfriend share an apartment together, she practically does. 

As if on cue, both Appa and Aang walk into the living room to greet Katara. As Aang kisses her and Appa demands attention, Sokka tries to take the opportunity to disappear into his room. 

“Sokka!”

No such luck. 

He grimaces as he turns around. “Yes, dear sister?”

“I wasn’t done catching up with my favorite brother,” she insists. “Unless Aang will be able to tell me why you have cat hair on you?” 

“Cat hair?” Aang asks curiously. “But Sokka is allergic to cats.”

Sokka doesn’t miss the unimpressed glare that his sister sends his way, ruining all hopes that she might play along.

“Sokka is _not_ allergic to cats, he just doesn’t like them,” Katara clarifies. 

“You told me you were allergic!” Aang points an accusatory finger at his roommate, who is saved from answering by his sister.

“So you don’t like cats enough to lie about it, but here you are wearing a sweatshirt covered in cat hair,” Katara says, eyes narrowed. “What is the missing piece in this puzzle?”

“I...fine, whatever. It’s not a big deal anyway. I went to a cat café with Zuko today and I forgot to change, okay?”

His words are met with a few moments of silence, and then Katara and Aang promptly burst into laughter. 

“What?” he asks defensively, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Let me just clarify,” Katara says between breaths. “You hate cats, but you went to a cat café today? With Zuko?”

“Yeah,” Sokka answers. “Is that so hard to believe?” 

“It would be if it were anyone but Zuko,” Aang snickers. 

Sokka’s cheeks heat up. “What exactly does that mean?” he asks.

Katara tries to speak but she’s busy laughing again, and Sokka narrows his eyes at the two of them as they’re overcome with their fits of laughter. 

“Whatever,” he mutters after a few moments, walking out of the room.

* * *

“Do you want to go back to the cat café?” Sokka asks the next Saturday. He’s impressed with himself for making it this far without asking sooner. They have been twice now, but Sokka hasn’t been able to stop thinking about the cats playing with Zuko, the cats running to an excited Zuko when he pulls out the treats, the cats jumping in Zuko’s lap and making him laugh and smile...

Sokka wants to go back. For the cats, of course. 

“Again?” Zuko asks, surprised, his voice still groggy from waking up. He had made it through five minutes of Parks and Recreation before resting his head in Sokka’s lap and falling asleep, which Sokka didn’t mind. A Saturday morning with your best friend, watching your favorite show, and playing with said best friend’s soft hair is a perfect start to the weekend in Sokka’s books. 

“We don’t have to, it’s okay if you don’t want to go,” Sokka says quickly. Just because he is willing to adjust his budget for the month to allow for a few trips to the café doesn’t mean everyone feels the same way about--

“Did you just imply that I would not want to go to a cat café?” Zuko asks incredulously, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. “I’ll call and see if they have any open reservations now. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Sokka’s heart soars as he jumps up to grab his sweatshirt. 

At first, he had wondered why people would pay fifteen dollars to spend an hour in a room with a bunch of cats, but as he glances over to the passenger seat of his car to see Zuko’s fingers excitedly tapping a random rhythm on his thighs, smiling as he stares out the side window, Sokka thinks he has a better understanding of the magic of the cat café.

As soon as they walk in the room, Sokka sees the gray kitten that ran away from him the previous week.

“Zuko,” he whispers, eyes trained on the kitten as it licks its paw clean. “I want that cat to be my friend.”

Zuko had already been watching Sokka’s expression as they walked into the room, and out of the corner of his eyes Sokka can see that he is smiling. 

“Alright, come with me, let’s make you a new friend,” he says, leading the way over to the cat. 

They stop a few feet away as the cat pauses cleaning itself to watch them. Zuko slowly kneels on the ground and Sokka mirrors him. 

“I think it is staring into my soul,” Sokka says quietly.

“Maintaining eye contact can be seen as a threat,” Zuko tells him. “Blink slowly.”

Sokka does so, but the cat keeps staring at him. “Did I do it right?”

Zuko huffs a laugh. “Give it some time. Blinking for cats is a sign of trust, it still is trying to decide what to think of you. Offer some treats.”

Sokka pulls out the bag of treats and pours them into his palm, holding it out for the cat like he did last week. 

The cat seems to think about it, wide beady eyes now watching the treats, before making up its mind and walking over to Sokka. He lets out a gasp of excitement as it starts to eat, reading that his name is Momo.

After Momo finishes eating the treats in Sokka’s hand, he looks up and Sokka takes the opportunity to blink again. After a few seconds, Momo slowly blinks back.

“Did you see that?” Sokka asks, looking over to Zuko, who is again already looking at Sokka. “He blinked back at me!”

“That means he trusts you and is relaxed around you,” Zuko explains softly.

Sokka is suddenly aware that they are sitting very close to each other, both leaning forward to watch the kitten which results in their faces being just inches apart. Sokka’s mind goes blank, but for once, he doesn’t feel obligated to fill the silence. Zuko is watching him, and from this close Sokka can see how the sunlight makes his brown eyes look almost golden. 

A small meow interrupts them, and Sokka’s eyes widen as he turns his head back to Momo.

“That was the cutest thing I have ever heard,” he gasps, rubbing Momo on the head.

Zuko chuckles. “It seems like Momo gets jealous easily.”

Zuko shifts away from Sokka’s side to start petting a sleeping cat nearby, and Sokka immediately misses the contact.

Momo isn’t the only one who gets jealous easily, he thinks as he watches Zuko smile at the other cat.

* * *

“I don’t know why I was ever so strongly against cats,” Sokka sighs happily as he walks into the apartment a few days later after his fourth trip to the cat cafe with Zuko. He isn’t surprised to see Katara cuddling with Aang on the couch, but he wishes he had noticed her before he brought up the cats again. 

She sits up immediately, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So you have officially changed your mind, then? You like cats?”

“I didn’t before, but sure, consider me a cat person now,” Sokka shrugs, forcing his face to remain neutral as he hangs up his keys. 

“What changed your tune?” Aang asks, sitting up as well. 

“I guess I just didn’t appreciate them before,” Sokka answers. 

“But now you do? After going to the cat cafe with Zuko?” Katara prods, and she still has a look in her eyes that has Sokka glaring in suspicion. 

“Sue me, being around the world’s biggest cat person has got me to like cats now, is that so crazy?” he asks.

Katara pauses the movie they’re watching. “Sokka, do you know why Zuko likes cats so much?” 

Sokka realizes this conversation will not be as short as he wishes it could be and he resignedly takes a seat on the free armchair. “Pray tell,” he says flatly.

“He has lots of reasons, but one of them being that he practically is one. I think that’s why you like cats, too.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Sokka rolls his eyes. “I am nothing like a cat.”

“I’m not saying you like them because you are like a cat, I’m saying you like cats because they remind you of Zuko,” Katara explains patiently. 

Sokka hears what she’s saying, but he feels like he’s missing something. “You’re saying…”

“That you like Zuko,” Aang finishes helpfully. 

“Of course I like Zuko, he’s my best friend,” Sokka says, his heart beating faster than normal. 

“Your best friend that you go to the cat café with all the time even though you don’t like cats,” Katara says.

“ _Didn’t_ like cats,” Sokka corrects. “Past tense.”

“What do you like about cats now?” Aang asks.

Sokka opens his mouth but then hesitates. All the good things he can think about cats have to do with Zuko. He frowns, certain there has to be _something_ enjoyable about cats that isn’t tied directly to Zuko. His hesitation makes Katara and Aang give each other knowing looks, and he rushes to answer. 

“No, wait, I got it! Cats are very sweet and unpredictable yet very predictable, they love attention but sometimes they need some space, and it’s like they know when _you_ need some attention and they’ll get close to you, and it’s impossible to look at a cat and not smile, they just make you feel so many happy emotions, and…” Sokka trails off as he hears everything he’s saying, but realizes he’s not picturing any cats at the moment. At least, not without an accompanying image of Zuko. 

Oh. 

_Oh_.

“Did you figure it out?” Aang asks gently after several moments of silence.

“I think so,” Sokka answers, his voice sounding far away. “I like Zuko. As in...well. You know.”

“Yes, we do know,” Katara says. “We have known for a while.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Sokka asks, his voice higher than usual. 

“Sokka, this was something you needed to figure out on your own. Even if we have been trying to nudge you in this direction for a while,” Aang says cheerfully.

Sokka stares blankly at the two of them. “Now what?”

“That’s up to you,” Katara says, her expression softening from one to triumph to a more gentle smile.

Sokka hesitates before the idea comes to him and he pulls out his phone to make a reservation for the following day.

* * *

“Two days in a row?” Zuko asks the next day. They had agreed to meet outside and he had been completely engrossed in watching the cats in the window when Sokka had approached and cleared his throat loudly. 

Sokka matches his smile and shrugs. 

“And here I thought you didn’t like cats,” Zuko teases.

“I didn’t,” Sokka answers truthfully. “But that has changed. Plus...it felt like the right place.”

“For what?”

“You’ll see,” Sokka answers vaguely. 

_Start with a gentle touch_ , Zuko had said the first time they were here. 

Sokka grabs Zuko’s hand quickly so that he can’t chicken out, but his touch is still soft. Zuko looks surprised as he glances down at their hands and then up to Sokka’s face. 

_Blinking is a sign of trust._

Sokka holds the eye contact and slowly blinks. 

Zuko’s smile spreads slowly across his face and so does his blush, and he blinks back.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3
> 
> [tumblr!](http://www.bisexuallsokka.tumblr.com)


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